Basket carrier



M. B. SHELDON BASKET CARRIER Oct. 18, 1938.

Filed may 5. 19:57

wrrNEssEs Patented oet 1s, 193s p l 2,133,834

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASKET canarini, y Murray B. Sheldon, Jerney City, N. J. Application May s, 1931Seria1 No. 140,827

2 claims. (ci. 28o- 49) The present invention relates to a basket carthe frame and the angles formed by the corners rler for the use of shoppers and is intended t at the Vfront thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the receive and support and transport baskets or casters l and the wheels 4 will be of such relative other containers for various articles of merchandiameter and sc placed that when 9,11 of them rest 5 dise constituting an assortment selected by the upon ahorizontal surface the supporting platform purchaser and by means of which the assortment or base will he substantially parallel to that surmay be kept intact While the SeleCtlOn iS being face and will afford a hrm support for the baskets assembled. It is primarily intended t0 be used ln even when lled with merchandise. thOSe Stores, generally characterized 'eS Self At or lnear the rear end of the base frame is an l0 service stores, where the purchaser 1S freev t0 upwardly extending actuator consisting of parallel l0 select from open bins or tables various items of side bers l0 united at their upper ende by e, horimerchandise and by means of which the assortzcntal bar il, tc which may be applied e, plete l2 ment constituting a particular purchase or order having e rounded fece, the said plate being of nay be kept assembled and retained until Checked. substantially the same length and width as the Wrapped and paid for by the purchaser. bar II, thus providing a handle bar to be grasped l5 The Carrier COIiSiStS `generally 0f a be-Se frame by the user in pushing the carrier about in selector support mounted on wheels or casters with an ing-varicusitems ef merchandise, upwardly and rearwardly extending actuator, the The actuator is made of strips of metal of subupper end 0f Which iS previded With a handle bal', stantially the same character as the strips formand with means whereby a basket 0r a plurality ing the supporting base. The lower ends of the 20 of baskets may be independently Supported. One side members I0 are connected as by welding to above the Other. in Sueh relative pOSltlOn BS t0 the inner surface of the longer bars I of the base permit free aeeeSS thereto at all times and Conframe or support, the point of union I3 of the side stitute a lrnl SuppOrt fOr the baskets, and S0 e011- members I0 being adjacent to but somewhat in Strueted that With Very slight effort the uSer advance of avertical line cutting the axle lwhich 25 may move the device about the store from counter carries the Wheels 4, The braces i which carry to counter until the selection of merchandise the axle 3 have their upper ends welded er othere0nstitutlng e particular Order- Shall have been wise secured as at Il to the outer surface of the Completed by the purchaser. side members I0 of the actuator which as shown The basket Carrier iS ShOWn in the aee0mpanyextends upwardly and is rearwardly inclined with 30 ing drawing in whichrespect to the plane of the base lframe or sup- Fig- 1 ShOWS a perspective View 0f the basket port. Suitable cross braces I5 extend between the Carrier with One be-Sket supported thereon and side members I0 and cross each other as shown the Other indicated in dotted lines; in dotted lines in Fig. 1 (see also dotted lines in Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carrier with the Fig. 2), the ends of which are secured as at I6 by 35 baskets removed; welding or other suitable means to the inner Fig. 3 shows in side elevation one of the baskets face of the members I0 and are secured to eachl removed. other at the point of crossing thus forming a Similar-reference characters will be employed rigid truss or brace for the members I0 and servthroughout the specication and drawing to ing to maintain their parallelism. 40 designate corresponding parts. The baskets II are preferably made of wire as 'I'he device comprises a supporting base frame I indicated and are provided with handles I8 pivpreferably made of strips of flat metal and is otally mounted at I9 to the upper edge. Each of rectangular in shape having oppositely disposed Vthe handles is formed in the shape of an angular relatively long side bars I and oppositely disposed yoke, as shown in Fig. 1, and will be of such a 45 back and front bars 2. The carrier may be made size .that when not in use they will extend from of any suitable metal having the required strength the points I9 and engage the upper edge of the and regidity. This base frame or support carries basket between the points I9 and the opposite at its rear end an axle 3 upon the opposite ends ends of the lupper end thereof, alias shown in of which are disposed metal wheels 4, the axle 3 Fig. 1. The handles may be covered with a tub- 50 being mounted in the depending lower ends 5 of ing of some yielding material such as rubber. braces 8 which will be hereinafter referred to. When the handles I8 are brought to the posi- At its forward end the base frame is provided tion shown in Fig. 3, they form means whereby with casters 'l carried by spindles 8 mounted to the basket may be removed from the carrier and freely turn or swivel in bearings 9 secured within carried about by hand. 55

'I'he lower basket, as shown in dotted lines, is supported on the side bars of the base or support,

- and in order to insure that it shall remain in position thereon, the side members i0 are provided with hooks or equivalent means permanently secured thereto, with which the upper edge of the basket is connected when placed on the base or supporting frame. 'I'he upper basket is supported upon brackets 2| which are permanently connected at their rear ends 22 to the side members Ill and at their forward ends have upstanding guards 23 to engage the front of the basket as shown in Fig. l. The bracket 2| is supported by upwardly and forwardly inclined braces 24 which are likewise secured to the inner face ofthe side members I0 and to the under face of the brackets 2| by welding or by any other suitable attaching means. Above the bracket 2| the side members IU carry hooks 25 so positioned with relation to the bracket 2| as to engage the upper edge of the basket supported theron, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

It will be noted that the `arrangement of the respective basket supports is such that the lower one is supported in such a way as to afford free access thereto and that the weight of the lower basket will to some extent assist in maintaining the carrier in an operative position even though a filled basket may be supported on the brackets 2 I, the center of gravity of both baskets with relation to the axle 3 being such as to insure not only the maintenance of an upright position of the device but to so counter-balance each other that a very slight backward pull on the handle bar will suffice to raise the casters l above the floor surface to facilitate movement of the basket carrier in heavy traffic. Under normal conditions, of course, while resting on the wheels l and the casters 1, the device is easily steered in any direction, the swiveled casters 1 automatically turning about the axis of the spindles 8 under the slightest pressure.

It is thought that the operation of the device elements and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a handle bar at the upper end of said actuator, a bracket or support secured to the front of the actuator ata point above the base frame member and projecting thereover, said bracket having upturned guards to engage one side of a basket supported thereon, and forwardly projecting hooks secured to the actuator above said bracket to engage the rim of the basket supported on said bracket.

2. A basket carrier comprising an open base frame member formed of a metal strip bent to shape, lan actuator formed of a metal strip bent to form parallel members united at one end by a crossbar with their free ends connected to the base frame member, braces extending between the parallel members of the actuator and braces at the rear of the base frame member and projectingin an inclined direction below the same. a bracket or basket support mounted at the front of the actuator above the open base frame member a suflicient distance to permit a basket to be supported on said base frame member and projecting forwardly thereover, hooks at the front ofthe actuator to engage the rims of baskets placed on the bracket and base frame member, all of the aforesaid parts being rigidly and permanently connected forming a single unitary metal structure, and rotary elements beneath the base frame member.

MURRAY B. SHELDON. 

